CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers will take on a new horizon on Sunday with the New York Giants in Germany.
Allianz Arena in Munich will host the teams in a Week 10 matchup at 9:30 a.m. ET. Both teams head into the game with a 2-7 record and are near the bottom of the league in productivity.
This will be just the second international game in the Panthers' history. The lone game played by the Panthers outside the United States came in Week 6 of 2019 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London.
Carolina was the last NFL team to get an international game. Before the Panthers were finally chosen to play one, every other team played either a regular season or exhibition game outside the United States. The Green Bay Packers were the only team that had to wait longer than the Panthers for a regular season international game—the Packers played exhibition games in Canada and Japan in the 1990s.
When the Panthers entered the league in 1995, the NFL was exploring new territory overseas with preseason games in Australia, Canada, Germany, and Japan, among others. The Panthers never got the call to play in another nation during this period.
The league has played games outside the United States every year since 2007 -- excluding 2020. The Panthers made the most of the international spotlight with a dominant win over a divisional foe.
Winning abroad
The Kyle Allen-led Panthers took a three-game winning streak to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the Buccaneers.
Carolina's James Bradberry intercepted a Jameis Winston pass on the first play of the game, a sign of things to come the rest of the way. The Panthers later jumped ahead 10-0 following a 99-yard drive that ended with a Christian McCaffrey touchdown.
Tampa Bay closed the gap in the second quarter with a touchdown pass but two Winston turnovers on the next two drives allowed the Panthers to go up 17-7 by halftime.
With the Panthers ahead 20-7 early in the third quarter, Winston threw his third interception of the game to linebacker Luke Kuechly. Carolina scored on the next play with an 8-yard run from Curtis Samuel.
Allen hit Samuel for another Panthers touchdown on the team's next drive to put Carolina ahead 34-10.
The Buccaneers pulled within two scores with two fourth-quarter touchdowns and successful two-point conversion attempts to trail 37-26.
The Panthers offense did little to quell Tampa Bay's comeback attempt. Carolina gained just one first down in the fourth quarter, which was the result of a defensive penalty but managed to maintain their lead with three Buccaneers turnovers in the final 10 minutes.
Winston threw two interceptions in the final three minutes and the Buccaneers muffed a punt return to secure the Panthers win.
In the end, the Panthers forced a franchise-record seven turnovers for a 37-26 victory. Allen had 227 yards passing and two touchdowns in the win. McCaffrey had 31 yards rushing, scoring once on the ground and once in the air.
The win pushed the Panthers to 4-2 as they looked like one of the NFC's top teams. The Panthers proceeded to lose their final eight games and finish 5-11 in the last year of the Ron Rivera era.
International affairs
The Panthers will return to foreign soil on Sunday. The NFL designated the Panthers as a global marketing partner for Germany, which gives the team access to marketing, fan engagement, and commercialization. The Buccaneers, Chiefs, Colts, Falcons, Giants, Lions, Patriots, Seahawks, and Steelers are also partnered with Germany.